Introduction

Abstract

Eighteen-year-old Tenzin Choedron set herself on fire on February 11, 2012. She was a young Tibetan woman in China’s southwestern Sichuan province, one of several dozen ethnic Tibetans who have burned themselves since March 2011. The 14th Dalai Lama, while not supporting the self-immolations, has not condemned them either. The Tibetan government-in-exile, while not openly instigating the burnings, has used them as international talking points to highlight the Tibetan diaspora’s political agenda. These dramatic incidents highlight the fact that China is a very diverse country undergoing major transitions. These transitions converge on the complexities of ruling, the ever-growing importance of resources and the religious revival that has spread throughout the world.